Welcome to real estate insights born from many years “in the trenches.” This site cuts through the theory to deliver down-to-earth, field-tested advice for homeowners, buyers, and industry pros—covering everything from buying and selling to investing and development. It’s all practical knowledge for making smarter property decisions.
REX’s Supreme Court Petition Denied: What It Means (and Doesn’t) for Real Estate
The Supreme Court has officially denied Real Estate Exchange, Inc. (REX)’s petition for a writ of certiorari, ending its high-profile antitrust case against Zillow and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). While headlines might make it sound like a landmark ruling, the reality is simpler: the Court just opted not to take the case, not to weigh in on whether NAR’s policies are legal or not.
In what the FTC is calling a “blatantly anti-competitive agreement,” Zillow paid Redfin $100 million to get out of the rental advertising business and hand over its multifamily customers. That’s not an exaggeration…according to the FTC’s 32-page federal complaint filed September 30, the agreement requires Redfin to terminate all contracts for properties with 25 or more units, share sensitive customer info, lay off its entire rentals team, and direct its clients (and staff) over to Zillow.
In return, Redfin gets to stay in the rental search game… as a syndicator for Zillow listings only. The agreement spans up to nine years and effectively kills off Redfin as a competitor in the ILS (Internet Listing Service) space for large rental properties.
Zillow is being sued in a proposed nationwide class-action lawsuit that alleges it misleads consumers on its site while quietly pocketing up to 40% of the buyer agent’s commission, and doing it without disclosure to either the buyer or the seller.
The lawsuit, filed by Oregon homebuyer Alucard Taylor on September 19, 2025, targets Zillow’s “Flex” agent referral program and accuses the company of violating both the Washington Consumer Protection Act and the federal Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA).
There’s a familiar pattern playing out across industries right now, and real estate agents are right in the thick of it, whether we realize it or not.
The research on Amazon and Uber’s fee evolution is eye-opening. Both platforms started by offering their users, sellers and drivers, low-cost access and the promise of big opportunities. Amazon took less than 10% from sellers back in 2006. Uber’s original commission rate was a flat 20%. Fast forward to 2025, and Amazon is taking roughly 45% of third-party sellers’ revenue. Uber drivers are seeing 30 to 40% of their fares siphoned off in fees.
Zillow vs. CoStar: Why This Battle Over Photos Matters to You
A major copyright lawsuit filed this week by CoStar against Zillow might sound like a corporate turf war—and on the surface, that’s exactly what it is. But behind the headlines, this one hits closer to home for agents, landlords, and property owners than most people realize.
Buried in Zillow’s opposition to a preliminary injunction was a candid acknowledgment of how their platform actually works — and where its limits lie.
But perhaps the most telling statement from Zillow’s filing is this:
The Compass-Zillow Lawsuit Isn’t Just Legal Drama—It’s a Battle Over Real Estate’s Innovation DNA
Glenn Sanford, CEO of eXp, just weighed in on the Compass-Zillow lawsuit—and whether you agree with him or not, his post hits a critical nerve about where this industry could be headed.
The Compass antitrust lawsuit against Zillow is heating up, and Greg Hague’s latest analysis puts an even sharper point on what’s at stake. I covered the legal filing last week, but Hague’s breakdown highlights just how transformative this case could be for the real estate industry. He’s right: this isn’t just about listing policies or portal preferences. It’s a fight over who controls the digital front door to homebuying—and whether innovation in marketing strategies gets crushed under the weight of a near-monopoly.
What Zillow calls a policy change for transparency, Hague frames as textbook exclusionary conduct. And it’s hard to argue with that lens when you consider the timing: Compass gains traction with its Private Exclusives and extended pre-MLS marketing, NAR adjusts the Clear Cooperation Policy to allow more flexibility, and suddenly Zillow drops a 24-hour rule that effectively bans listings that don’t play by its rules. It’s not about fairness to buyers; it’s about eliminating options that threaten Zillow’s lead-gen machine. The permanent nature of the ban, coupled with Zillow’s platform dominance, underscores the concern.
Compass filed a federal antitrust lawsuit yesterday accusing Zillow of trying to crush competition in the home search space. The core of the lawsuit challenges what Compass calls the “Zillow Ban,” a new policy set to begin enforcement June 30th, which blocks any listing from appearing on Zillow if it was marketed elsewhere—even on a brokerage’s private platform—for more than one day.
Compass claims this rule unfairly targets its 3-Phased Marketing Strategy, which allows sellers to start privately marketing a listing before it hits the MLS and public portals. According to the complaint, 94% of listings that used the strategy in 2024 ultimately went to the MLS and sites like Zillow, but the new policy would strip those sellers of that exposure unless they bypass pre-marketing altogether—or fire their agent and relist with someone else. The suit alleges this is a classic monopolistic move to limit seller choice, eliminate competing innovation, and control inventory. Compass also accuses Zillow of conspiring with Redfin and eXp to enforce the policy across multiple platforms, describing it as a coordinated boycott.
Over the years, I’ve watched this industry change in a lot of ways—but I’ve rarely seen a company founder publicly challenge the power structures of organized real estate quite like Robert Reffkin did last week during Compass’s retreat in Denver. His keynote speech, aimed at Compass agents, was less about motivation and more of a pointed indictment of NAR, MLSs, and portals like Zillow. Whether you agree with him or not, he raised some serious questions that the broader real estate world can’t ignore.
Reffkin framed the issue as “choice versus control,” painting organized real estate as a system designed not to protect consumers, but to maintain control over listing data and membership dues. He made the case that MLSs and trade associations—backed by $2B in annual agent dues and $86M in lobbying spend—have gone well beyond their original missions. He described Clear Cooperation rules as less about collaboration and more about squashing alternative listing platforms, especially those that allow for strategic pre-market exposure or “private exclusives” that don’t route through the usual channels.